1 / 19

Adapting to a changing climate

Adapting to a changing climate. John Drexhage, Director, ICMM June 2013 , London Inaugural Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining Fellows Breakfast Club. Outline. A changing climate in context Emerging drivers for adaptation

Télécharger la présentation

Adapting to a changing climate

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Adapting to a changing climate John Drexhage, Director, ICMM June 2013, London Inaugural Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining Fellows Breakfast Club www.icmm.com

  2. Outline • A changing climate in context • Emerging drivers for adaptation • Implications of a changing climate on the mining and metals sector • Adapting to a changing climate www.icmm.com

  3. A changing climate in context – climate change and sustainable development www.icmm.com

  4. A changing climate in context – a changing climate and the mining and metals sector Relies on large, fixed assets with long design lifetimes Requires climate-sensitive inputs: water, energy, land, people Dependent on global supply chains Operates in challenging geographies and climates www.icmm.com

  5. A changing climate in context – what is mining’s contribution to land and water use? Land use (Australia) [1] Consumptive water use [2,3,4,5] www.icmm.com

  6. Emerging drivers for adaptation www.icmm.com

  7. Implications of climate change for the mining and metals sector Climate-sensitive inputs: Water, energy, people Supply chains: transport routes, infrastructure, access to markets Markets: demand for goods and services, competition Exploration & construction: access to new reserves, site design, building codes, minesite water balance Operations: equip. performance and operating thresholds, workforce health and safety, stability of impoundments, disruptions Closure & post-closure: Long term environmental monitoring, rehabilitation Source: [6] www.icmm.com

  8. Implications of climate change – a framework for evaluating risks www.icmm.com

  9. Implications of climate change –arid or water-stressed environments • Risk of: • Insufficient water supply for operations • Reduced availability and reliability of electricity • Challenges in post-closure rehabilitation and water quality management Sources: [11,12] www.icmm.com

  10. Implications of climate change –arid or water-stressed environments • Quillagua and Copiapó in Antofagasta and Atacama, northern Chile; • Mining operations face risks from increased conflict over water rights, regulatory changes; • Responding by sourcing raw seawater, increasing reuse & recycling, engagement with stakeholders. Source: [11] www.icmm.com

  11. Implications of climate change –tropical climates • Workforce impacts from heat stress and more frequent periods of extreme heat; • Changes in the spread of vector-borne diseases; • Indirect impacts from low level of resilience in vulnerable communities; • Impacts on biodiversity, species extinction. Source: [18] www.icmm.com

  12. Implications of climate change –tropical climates • Boane, Mozambique • High infection rates (~85%), health impacts to workforce and local community • Malaria control programs dropped infection rates to below 20% • Motivated by workforce and community safety • Have increased resilience to malaria within the region Sources: [15,16, 17] www.icmm.com

  13. Implications of climate change – coastal areas and regions likely to become wetter Sources: [13,14] • Potential for: • Coastal flood damage; • Changes in minesite water balance; • Changes in timing or flow of receiving bodies. • Impacts on: • Capacity to handle heavy rainfall & flooding; • Stability of open pit highwalls, tailing storage ponds, embankments; • Long-term water quality. www.icmm.com

  14. Implications of climate change – coastal areas and regions likely to become wetter • Minto Mine, Central Yukon • In 2008, 2009: “two 100-year water events in a row” • Shut down extraction, emergency releases to Yukon River • $2.5M water treatment plant, upgrades to diversion channels Credit: Capstone Mining Corp. http://capstonemining.com/s/Gallery_Minto.asp • Queensland, Australia • Heavy flooding in 2010, 2011 • 3- to 6-week rail closures • 12-week disruption on West Moreton Line Credit: Oprel 2010. http://www.oprel.co/gallery/queensland-flood-damage/8373137 www.icmm.com

  15. Adapting to a changing climate – a framework for adaptation Adapted from [7,8,9,10,11] www.icmm.com

  16. Adapting to a changing climate – what is being done www.icmm.com

  17. Adapting to a changing climate – what is being done Credit: Vale, BHP Billiton www.icmm.com

  18. Conclusions • The mining and metals industry is exposed to climate risks. • It is also very experienced at managing risk. • Mining companies are already taking action on adaptation. • Strategies must further incorporate climate change into existing risk management and planning activities. www.icmm.com

  19. Conclusions (2) • External expectations for climate risk management are changing. • Specifically, the demand for anticipating and reporting on risks is increasing. • Adaptation offers opportunities to engage on broader, complementary sustainable development benefits. www.icmm.com

More Related